Amtrak looking to restore passenger rail service to the Pa. Northeast corridor

Amtrak is working on a plan to bring rail service to Allentown, Reading and Scranton in three years.

During a virtual roundtable discussion today, Gov. Tom Wolf, Amtrak executives, congressional members and local leaders talked about the Amtrak vision for the Northeast Corridor, which would provide passenger rail service to the area.

The plan is contingent on Congress passing the Build Back Better Plan, President Biden’s infrastructure bill.

Allentown Deputy Mayor Leonard Lightner along with mayors from Reading and Scranton, support the return of rail service to the Northeast corridor in Pennsylvania, because the population growth, global climate change and congestion on the roads make it necessary.

“We need mobility and investing in our infrastructure will create economic benefits,” he said. The rail service “would reduce our carbon footprint, alleviate traffic congestion and improve travel time for trucks.”

Reading Mayor Eddie Moran agreed. “We have very strong ties to New York so I am a strong advocate for this.”

The plan is to establish three new lines: Allentown to New York, Scranton to New York, and Reading to Philadelphia to New York.

Stephen Gardner, Amtrak president, said the three lines would create new economic opportunities along each of the corridors. Historically, it’s been shown that people like to live close to train stations which increases property values and companies build near rail lines.

Amtrak currently runs two state-supported routes in Pennsylvania: Keystone and Pennsylvanian. In fiscal year 2019, there were 1.8 million riders between these routes, Wolf said.

Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor vision estimates there would be 1.3 million riders annually by 2035, with the services contributing $200 million in annual economic impact and $6 billion in incremental economic activity from capital investments, based on a projected capital investment needed of $2,700 million, he said.

“Amtrak’s plan for expansion will improve equity, accessibility, and reliability in transportation and that’s exactly what our commonwealth needs to continue growing and thriving,” Wolf said. “We need state-level transportation solutions to match this federal leadership so we can build and sustain this vision.”

Jim Gerlach, president and CEO of Greater Reading Chamber Alliance, said the Schuylkill Valley Metro Project a couple of years ago looked at restoring service to the area, but it withered. Support from the federal, state and local levels couldn’t be achieved, he said.

Now, with the federal government looking to pass “historic” infrastructure legislation and the strong support of the local and state entities, “we can create this.” In fact, he said, the Tri County Rail Committee has been working on making this a reality. “All the elements that were missing are now nearly in place,” he said.

Gerlach said the three rail services would create hundreds of new jobs, create $760 million in income growth and boost real estate values. “It’s a no-brainier to work together….to see this project becoming a reality.”

Amtrak would build new rails in New Jersey that Conrail tore out. U.S. Congressman Matt Cartwright (D-Scrantoni said 8 miles of the 28-mile corridor are already under construction.

“After years of studies, we are closer to rail cars hitting the rails,” he said. “With this new route, we would see $87 million in economic activity every year. That pays for the whole shebang in 3-4 years.”

Nationwide, Amtrak’s vision proposes key improvements on 25 existing routes, adding 39 new routes, and bringing service to more than 160 new communities.